It Had To Happen. Soon You Could Face An In-Work Benefit Sanction … For Going To Work

Part-time workers could face a benefit sanction for going to work under draconian new rules which force claimants of in-work benefits to constantly look for more, or better paid work.

When Universal Credit is fully introduced (stop laughing) Jobcentres will have the powers to dictate how many hours a claimant should be working to remain eligible for what are now called Tax Credits and Housing Benefit. Those without children, who do not have a health condition, will be required to spend up to 35 hours a week either working or taking part in work related activity such as looking for additional work or even attending workfare. Failure to comply will result in a sanction.

The implications are chilling. Under the new rules part-time workers will have to attend a job interview with just 48 hours notice or their benefits will be stopped. This is likely to mean someone required to take time off their existing employment – at short notice – to attend a job interview somewhere else. If they go to work instead of the interview they could face a sanction. As anyone who has ever had a real job will know, this will place claimants in an impossible position forcing to them to make the choice between risking being sacked or sanctioned. And unfortunately their boss will probably find out they are looking for a new job whatever they do because part of their work related activity may include being mandated to set up an online profile to “draw attention to their availability” for alternative employment.

Claimants should not face a sanction if they can demonstrate a ‘good reason’ (pdf) for not carrying out work related activity such as attending an interview. But no-one is likely to tell them this. Anyone who thinks that these new rules will not lead to people being sanctioned for going to work has not seen the ever growing lists of sanctions handed out to claimants for petty, inappropriate and sometimes even bizarre reasons. Not being able to carry out work related activity because your boss makes it impossible is not even mentioned in the decision maker’s guidance, the rule book for the faceless back office Jobcentre staff who impose sanctions.

Ministers had said that people would not face a sanction if it means giving up a part-time job to attend a temporary position with longer hours. But even the guidance on this is vague. Decision makers are advised that someone should not be forced to leave their job to take up a fortnight’s full time temporary work but beyond this it is left to them to take a “common sense approach”.

It is astonishing, and horrifying that Iain Duncan Smith’s obsession with benefit sanctions could now actually cost people their jobs. It is what will happen to those who are sanctioned however that reveals the breath-taking cruelty behind this policy.

Somebody working 16 hours a week on minimum wage and paying £90 a week in rent (around the average Housing Benefit award) will receive £104 a week in wages and £111 under Universal Credit, a total of £215. If they are sanctioned they will lose the equivalent of a Jobseeker’s Allowance payment, currently £72.40, for each week the sanction remains in place. Depending on where they live they will almost certainly have to pay some Council Tax from that sum, around here that would be £8 a week for someone living in the cheapest band. After paying this, and their rent, the claimant will be left with just £44.60 a week to pay for food, clothes, bills and fares to work. This sum will be enough to disqualify them from claiming Hardship Payments or any other form of additional help.

It is difficult to imagine how someone could maintain the level of health and hygeine necessary to hold down a job on such a paltry income, unless they stop paying their rent. Homelessness or unemployment will be the stark choice facing sanctioned working claimants – although if they leave their job they will be sanctioned again, or possibly disallowed any benefit completely. Even if they are able to increase their hours it will barely make a difference. For every pound they earn they will lose 65p of what little benefit they have left whilst their Council Tax liability may also rise as they earn more. Working another four hours a week would still not give them an income above £50 a week according to the turn2us benefit calculator. There will be no escape. People who are working will be condemned to desperate poverty and the longest sanctions can last for three years.

All of the main political parties support the principles behind Universal Credit, even if they are sceptical about whether the IT necessary for the system is genuinely achievable. Few of them seem to have looked into the details of what they are supporting – and what will happen to people who are self-employed is even worse (watch this space). These rules are aimed at people with jobs, not the unemployed. The DWP is out of control under Iain Duncan Smith and the suffering that is yet to come unless someone puts the brakes on will dwarf anything we have seen so far.

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153 responses to “It Had To Happen. Soon You Could Face An In-Work Benefit Sanction … For Going To Work”

Ok so let me get this straight. They would prefer you to have no job than a partime one. I may have to go back on Jobseekers soon. Its ridiculous that they force you to clean the streets for below minimum wage. I mean if they paid me minimum wage it would not be so bad, How about you have links to certain companies that take on Jobseekers who have been unemployed for a lengthy time. Give them a trial of say a week so they can fit in. Then simply offer them a part or full time position. If they are not good enough explain why or send them on training course to get better. I mean stop treating the world as if we are all slobs who live on council estates and are not looking for decent jobs. I am a graduate, how is cleaning up fag ends and beer cans going to improve my Job prospects?. No doubt the job centre sends you for interviews to be carers or cleaners degrading jobs that they would rather you did to get you off the books. If you work partime but still get benefits you are still technicaly unemployed as you still recive benefits. However do a full time cleaning job and you come off benefits and they get you off there books. The same with slave labour too. Get forced to do 40+ hours a week of work, convicted criminals should be doing. That alongside trying to search for an actual paying job. If the government think its so easy to get a job why are so many talented people jobless. If there is so many jobs going in various sectors why am I not in work?

That is why I hope young people will vote either Lib Dem or Labour as I just can not see this arrogant oblivious Prime Minister greesing the pockets of the rich whilst inteligent educated young people suffer.

I don’t quite understand what you are trying to say here. Things like doing a 40 hour week that criminals should be doing is a bit on the vague side.
If you are on about ppl forced to do workfare, I kinda get the oint, but if you are on about ppl who do cleaning work as a real, proper job, then I don’t get it.
Most garbage workers get a half decent pay where I live….It’s just that its impossible to get one of those jobs as they’re never…..ever advertised !!

Utter madness! And I thought the Toriz always wanted to ”make work pay”. Or is this mere lip service, a handy sound bite trotted out by Cameron, Osborn and Smith. The DWP is truly broken and dysfunctional. The above proposal is yet further conformation of this.

Fucking NAZI STATE…….When my ESA was stopped this week the jobcentre manager told me to lie and say I was fit for work so that I could claim JSA, now it looks like i’ll have to grass myself up as making a fraudulent claim.

The reality, if this ever comes to pass, is that employers won’t ever employ someone part-time unless they know they’ll be exempt from this kind of harassment. There’s no point employing someone and getting them trained up only to lose them due to pressure from the DWP. I would imagine the other political parties are keen on this basic idea as they love the idea of having more power over people’s lives. But… it’ll never happen as the necessary IT doesn’t exist and cannot be wished into existence.

Unfortunately they will, the government pays employers to create mutiple part time jobs out of full time positions, just try and find a full time job in retail these days, they don’t exist at entry level. The reason for this is because the unemployment stats look better, ie 2 people hired for 16 hrs a week rather than one person for 32 hrs.

Until Governments understand what the reality is regarding this Benefit then nothing will change we all need to send this to all the people standing for M.P’s. …The problem is they won’t understand the problems we are facing ..All we want to do is go to work and EARN enough to look after ourself’s this is now becoming impossible. Don’t they realise that this will cause more problems for people who are already unwell. Why is it when the idiots doing this could not understand the problem and just make work pay like there’s. What a Fu**ing cock up!

That’s all most people want – decent job, decent income, decent standard of living but these IDS cunts are determined to turn it into some sort of Impossible Dream something like when fantasise about when it should be a given in any decent society which Big Society UK sure ain’t. Enough of this shit!

Yet more evidence that UC will be the biggest social disaster in living memory. Do they seriously think people will put up with this? They might get away with it for a while, but it is only a matter of time before people will realise that they have absolutely nothing to lose in challenging the regime.

The social security system wasn’t broken, it is the economy and it’s basis that that is at fault.

Overburdenddonkey, Whilst I have not read the link, the title is enough. ‘Begging for an advisors help’. No, I will be lashing out. Anyway, the security guards are always ‘too far away for the staff to do anything. It will be too late. If I already feel like I do, there must be thousands also. We have had enough. Full Stop.

It’s just another loophole the DWP are closing to stop someone working for a couple of days legitimately…then working cash in hand the rest of the time…that is why the likes of A4e disrupt your time so it interferes with that possibility…

Not to mention that as rules currently stand, if the DWP decide you caused your own employment termination you won’t be entitled to claim any benefits either. So does getting the sack for going to interviews fall under this criteria? Talk about about screwed every which-way you turn.

this country is not capable of looking after it`s own!!
sending millions of pounds in aid to other countries then wondering
why they are short to look after uk residents then screwing them to the floor.
arseholes!!

Our overlords really don’t have any choice. They have to sanction the benefits of British people because there’s not enough money left to fund the welfare state, due to the fact that they keep spending our money on helping poor people in other countries!

If they had the money, our democratically elected representatives would immediately double the minimum wage, double the dole, double esa, end the wca, renationalise the utilities and public transport, abolish tuition fees, stop NHS privatisation and build affordable homes because they love the British people and care deeply about our well-being.

Ultimately though, they have no choice but to inflict poverty and suffering on us because they are such kind, soft-hearted, sympathetic, benevolent people that poverty and suffering in foreign countries moves them so much they feel compelled to spend all of our money on helping to alleviate it, leaving none to take care of us. They are just too caring and compassionate for their own good!

Roland, you have made a good point. Some Professor somewhere in the UK, suggested, that, UK Politicians would rather have a photo shoot with some poor soul in India than with a poor soul in the UK. All about looking good and the message that their is no poverty in the UK. Fucking Wankers.

If a law stipulated that a government mister could be held responsible and therefore liable for policies they implemented for up to ten years after leaving office, I bet they’d think a lot harder before rushing into ideologically hare-brained schemes.

Many who work or used to work in Jobcenters before being laid off, have been saying the same thing a few years now. All the more the wonder the stupid idiots still left in DWP keep following IDS rules about sanctions and the like. It will be their turn soon, and while some of them will have my sympathy,as some of them are actually half decent…..many will deserve everything they get !

Firstly sanctions are illegal. The UDHR article 22 states that everyone has the right to social security and sanctions are a breach of your human rights. Secondly council tax is not enforceable. The local government act states the liabilities and duties of the public shall become the liabilities and duties of the local council. Finally you cannot be forced to do a job against your will the UDHR article 19 states everyone has the right to freedom of choice of employment. The level at which benefits are paid is quoted by the council of europe as manifestly inadequate as they fall below the level of £110 per week. JSA should be paid at a level equivalent to 40% of the European Median equivocal wage which would equate to £138 per week. IDS has been informed of this by the council of Europe and has chosen to ignore this making him in breach of the European Social Charter.

…………..on reading this thoroughly obd, it would seem that the UK has lied, withheld information and given false accounting figures to the European Committee on Social Rights.

They have bluffed their way through all aspects concerning Human Rights and omitted to inform them of such, for profit institutions like MAXIMUS, utilising unskilled workers to decide upon disabled claimants benefits.

Regarding access to legal aid, this has been deliberately withheld.

From what i have read and what i know to be reality, there is no wonder Cameron wants out of the EU charter.

As for a UK bill of rights, the government with the aid of bent judges, have already implemented it.

The shit is about to hit the fan, i surmise.

Our benefit levels are below the poverty mark, what Frank_ begbie stated earlier is the truth of the matter……………..

The following relates to all interviews or medicals carried out by
Atos or any other company that carries out a simmilar role in
assessing a person for the DWP.

A, Does this company (or any used by the DWP) need the
persons/individuals consent when at an interview/ medical to
proceed with that medical/assesment/interview call it what you will
to divulge their personal and private health issues?

B, If consent is needed and not given and the assesment/interview
terminated is the file then handed back to a “Decission Maker” (or
whatever they are called now) at the DWP?

C, If the person has such a disability they cannot attend one of
your “assesment centres” can they ask for a domicilary hearing?

When is he going to be prosecuted for this, though? In the meantime, people are suffering- I keep hearing all too regularly about people going hungry, not being able to pay fuel bills and even being evicted because of benefit sanctions.

Paul if sanctions are illegal how come their doing sanctioning then????. has anyone else gone on Universal in the last 5 weeks and not got any money and been sanctioned. their doing it for the slightest reason!!!. Setting you up to fail. Could anyone reply whose just gone on it and tell me whats happening??,,are they fulfilling what they want you to do??.

A father of three children, who had suffered with depression for 11 years, had his benefits cut and had been threatened with eviction, walked to the fields where he played as a child and hanged himself.

A story from the 19th Century? No, just one of the many stories of the victims of the evil bedroom tax and benefit sanctions (described by a senior Tory Minister as “inhuman”).

Brooks ‘sex scandal’ Newmark: “Furthermore, there are indications that the current sanctions regime is not working to support more vulnerable people into work. Instead, sanctions are increasing people’s risk of becoming homeless, leaving them struggling with debt and without enough money for food, rent or heating. Sanctions disproportionately affect homeless people, with many facing obstacles—including mental and physical health problems, a history of domestic violence and poor literacy and IT skills—that make it harder for them to meet their work-related conditions.”

These politicians aren’t ‘out of touch’ – they know damned well the devastating effects their ideological driven and vicious policies are having on the lives of fellow human beings.

Brooks ‘sex scandal’ Newmark: “On welfare reform, housing benefit acts as a vital safety net to keep people who fall on hard times in their homes. However, cuts to housing benefit have, unfortunately, been a contributory factor to recent increases in homelessness. As my hon. Friend said, there are particular problems for younger adults, who are limited to receiving the shared accommodation rate of housing benefit. The rate has always been calculated in such a way that it does not reflect the real cost of tenanting a shared property. Although the Government’s intention is that the lowest 30% of the private rented market should be available to people on housing benefit, research by Crisis showed that as little as 2% of shared accommodation was actually available and affordable to benefit recipients. The calculation of the shared accommodation rate should be reviewed to ensure that it meets the real cost of renting shared accommodation and does not leave young adults at risk of homelessness.”

“The ending of an assured shorthold tenancy is now the leading cause of homelessness, accounting for 29% of cases. That is most pertinent in London, where it accounts for 38% of cases. The number of people rough sleeping has also risen. In London alone, 6,508 people slept rough at some point during 2013-14. That figure has doubled over the past six years. English street count figures for 2014-15 were 2,744, which is a 14% rise on the year before and a 55% increase over the past four years.”

“The continued shortage of housing and the ongoing effects of the economic recession are major drivers of homelessness. The welfare and housing systems have traditionally acted as a buffer between unemployment, poverty and homelessness. Government reforms, particularly cuts to housing benefit, are eroding that safety net. In particular, housing benefit has been cut by around £7 billion. Also, housing supply has not kept pace with demand for many decades. In total, almost 137,000 new houses were supplied in 2013-14—well below the estimated 232,000 required to keep up with demand. More and more people rely on housing benefit to pay their rent. Between 2008-09 and 2013-14, the proportion of renters in work and claiming housing benefit doubled from 7% to 14%.”

“However, support for single homeless people remains a challenge. Single homeless people who are not considered to be in priority need for housing can be turned away when they approach their council, with little help and no solution to their housing needs. Single homeless people should be given advice and assistance, but Crisis’s experience and research shows that, too often, that does not happen.

Crisis recently conducted a mystery shopping exercise, in which eight formerly homeless people visited 16 local authorities to examine the quality of advice and assistance that they provide to single homeless people. In well over half the 87 visits, the help offered was inadequate. In 29 cases, they were simply turned away without any help or the opportunity to speak to a housing adviser, despite the mystery shoppers portraying individuals in very vulnerable situations, including someone who was forced to sleep rough after losing their job, a young person thrown out of the family home, a victim of domestic violence and a person with learning difficulties.”

“Finally, there must be a significant increase in the number of genuinely affordable homes being supplied each year. Crisis is a core member of the Homes for Britain coalition, which is calling on all political parties to commit to ending the housing crisis within a generation and publishing a plan laying out how they will do so, within a year of taking office.”

How much more evidence do we need that unpaid work is just punishment.

Most of them got fines aswell, so treat the fine like a 3-month sanction, freeze their bank accounts now, so they’re doing their unpaid work for £0.
Sounds harsh, but it’s no worse than the unemployed get for the crime of being unemployed.

It is by no small co-incidence that the 80s – the time during which the evil Thatcher cunt was on the Throne conducting her Reign of Terror – is recognised as probably the best decade for pop music… so much anger, frustration and bitterness sublimated into cracking good tunes…. then came those fucking Spice Girls and it was game over.

Reblogged this on Beastrabban’s Weblog and commented:
I think Mr Void has blogged on this before, but it’s a good one, and needs repeating. IDS in his ‘wisdom’ has decided that the millions claiming in-work benefits are also a drag on society, and so should be encouraged to get better paid work through sanctions. Johnny Void here points out that this presents the low paid employee with a stark choice of losing benefits, or their jobs, if their employer catches them looking for alternative work elsewhere. He is also does the maths to show just how hard it would be to survive on the minimum wage, let alone present a good image at interviews.

IDS has long ago stopped living in anything but his own fantasy world, where well-paid jobs are just there for the taking and workers and the unemployed have only themselves to blame for their poverty. It’s time he was voted out on May 7th.

Looking at the current situation of people being hammered to a pulp by these psychopaths what the latter fail to realise is that it will not end well for them. Somewhere there will be a revolt as these rich scum look at people as stock and I have no doubt they would murder them if they could. Scroungers, shirkers, the labelling is vile and suggests all unemployed are the same.

Aristotle said “Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.” Somewhere there is going to be a social explosion, those in poverty are human beings not scum like the rich who have taken over politics. These politicians need the state to protect their private property. How much money is enough for you Ian Duncan Smith? There is a society for Thatcher and her successors, the rich society, the state is now a nanny state for the rich.

In a country where the fucking labour party are happy to only have 3 months of zero hour contracts rather than a year before permanent work is offered I say we are well and truly FUCKED – only a riot and revolution will stop this, writing to your mp is appeasement

jeremy
got to be doing regular hrs…’sack and replace’ scheme before 12wks expired…reeves for example also thinks sanctioning someone is bad coz 5mins late, missed bus due to snow…what planet is she on?

The majority of jobs that I have been looking at are only funded for one year. It is a “nightmare” for people who are looking for work. If I had to sit at a desk and search for vacancies for 35 hours I’d probably get a DVT – do the job centre provide those support stockings – if not I would be asking for them.

He makes claims but when a challenge is put down he declines.the tory aim is to wind people up.whats happened to Lord Freud they just vanish when headlines start appearing. all we here is hard working taxpayers when their chronies avoid paying any.the arrogance and accountability to the public is enormous and anyone on benefits is contemptible.they will strip everyone of their rights. your born to work we’re born to lead

As long as the money is in the bank they can say what they like.keep signing and fuck them.

I did not vote for independence but I hope the Labour party are obliterated in Scotland. If anyone in Scotland thinks Salmond will kill the neoliberal beast they are kidding themselves. The mass of the people have been pushed out of politics because politicians are rich and serve the rich.

johannes
sturgeon (she’s the leader) and the snp categorically state ‘the HoL is history’…. the snp are now way left of slab…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5fWTn5UiwM ‘The story’s not finished,’ says Alex Salmond MSP’

I can’t understand someone having those feelings yet voting no.Maybe you have wisened up now but I will never forgive the no voters as long as I live. A chance lost to make a real change instead of being ruled by Eton snobs. I’m still deflated by it all.

Certain companies up here were sending out scaremongering letters to their employees laying out how a YES vote could lead to problems with their business. The subliminal message being: Your job could be in jeopardy if the country votes YES. They planted that seed in a lot of people’s mind and made them scared.

For that they will not be forgotten. I’ll forgive them for it but i won’t forget it.

UNIVERSAL CREDIT
The clue is in the name. There is no mention of a JSA Credit, ESA Credit, Housing Benefit Credit, at all in the title, its just Universal Credit, everyone just gets “Universal Credit”.

At some point in the future Child Benefit will probably become a single gateway condition to claim UC, and then almost all the country will have to claim UC for something or another.
With every bit of personal data fed in from all walks of life, it will then be sold off for 19p, and we will all get bombarded with private insurance scams…sorry schemes.

Talking about child benefit I had a letter about mine today. It has been increased by 20pence a week!! Now I’m not so badly off as some, in that I’m working, but I think it’s a huge insult!! Exactly what can you do with an extra 80 pence a month??

I can honestly say that yes, I did vote for independence – the SNP – in my lifetime has been the only party to attempt to improve the lives of the Scottish people. They froze the Council tax, they gave us free prescriptions and this is a great saving for many people. Scotland had the chance to find a new alternative but sadly this did not come to fruition. Now we are back to square one – ruled by the Westminster Government. I for one will be voting in this election and it certainly will not be for Labour or Conservatives.

Yeah, most of the time! I’d like to think it’ll be different with SNP, but we’ll see! I really don’t trust any politicians as they’re all a bunch of liars and spin merchants out to feather their own nests. On the same level as bankers!

Not much changes does it? Years ago the Jobcentre wanted me to pursue a van driving job based in Launceston. The job entailed multi-drop deliveries of pasties all over Plymouth. The number one problem was that the dragon who owned the pasty firm would not let the driver take the van home. In my case the job would have entailed two trips daily on what I call Three Shrines Road, (The shrines commemorate fatal accidents!) total mileage about fifty per day on a deadly twisty road. The cost of petrol, tyres, wear and tear, plus the extra insurance costs (commuting and more miles being run) made the NMW job uneconomic unless one lived in Launceston so I had to excuse myself on medical grounds. “Why did you phone-up if you have a bad back?” said the dragon. The answer was of course quite simple “The Jobcentre made me do it!” Fortunately in those days the scope for applying sanctions was limited. The interesting question ought to be “Is it right to railroad a person into a job that will result in them getting less than the dole?”

Theoretically it is possible to set oneself up as a Limited Company and recoup ones outgoings in that way but as far as I know the Joe Average types are not supposed to do it!

It’s about time that we started to sit up and fight back. All we ever do is post comments on blogs.it’s easy and no one from the government or going to read it. Get of our arses and down to London. Be seen and be heard. Let’s not forget who we are. Great Britain. So please let’s do something and stand up for ourselves.

Yes Kevin, we need foot soldiers marching from all the towns and cities descending on the capital. Meeting up at various points in the UK. No doubt most of us will be on foot having limited money to travel by other means. But hey FUCK IT, I’m up for it.

Is this true, that if jobseekers remain unemployed and under the state pension age then they will really suffer ?? because they won’t be paying direct into a pension pot ?? sorry I’m just tad bit confused.

I watched a documentary about the Suffragettes marching into London demanding the vote. It was very interesting. if they were arrested they went on hunger strike and were force fed via a tube. Now 98 years later people are out on the streets protesting again and forced to attend Food Banks in order to eat. Nothing much has changed then? Asquith was the Liberal Prime Minister at that time.

Also read an article about a couple (unmarried) with separate claims living at the same address who had received benefit sanctions for refusing to participate in the work programme. They took their situation to a Judicial Review – this all started in 2011. They were winning their case and IDS and Lord Freud brought out new legislation (put through extremely fast) in 2013 in order that if in the event the couple won their case the government would not be held to account to repay all the sanction money they have stolen from people. Apparently there were over 100 cases waiting on the outcome of this case. The repayment figure was in the 200,000 region approximately. How they got away with changing the goal posts whilst a case was on-going I will never know. Has anyone asked DC what they did with the cash stolen on the pretext of benefit sanctions? I don’t know if the Queen had to give Royal Assent to this. The female judge (it looked to me) was actually on the side of the claimants.

Just a few comments. Firstly, I’m a little confused about the Job Centre’s role in all this. If you’re working in a low paid job and claim Housing Benefit I wouldn’t have thought the Job Centre would be involved in that claim at all – isn’t it the role of the Council to assess and administer Housing Benefit? In which case how can the Job Centre or DWP issue a sanction in relation to Housing Benefit? That said, and I really do hope that senior management at DWP read what follows, there will be MASSIVE legal implications of this policy if anyone is insane enough to even try to apply it. Consider the following scenario…you’re a part time worker and are faced with the choice of either attending a job centre interview (which will result in you being either sacked or disciplined by your employer) or going to work instead (which will result in you being sanctioned and losing your housing benefit). You choose the former and are sacked by your employer. You taken them to an Employment Tribunal to claim unfair dismissal. The Tribunal asks you why you were dismissed – you answer that you were dismissed because you didn’t turn up for work 1 day which amounted to a breach of the terms of your contract of employment. The Tribunal then asks why you didn’t turn up – and you answer that you couldn’t turn up because the DWP had demanded that you attend an interview at the Job Centre instead to discuss why you are only doing low paid, part time work, If you had refused to attend the interview, you would have been sanctioned and lose your eligibility for housing benefit which would result in you being evicted from your current accommodation and being made homeless. The Tribunal awards you compensation for unfair dismissal…which incurs hefty fines for the employer which sacked you…leading to a disappointing period of trading in the current tough financial climate…leading to the employer going bankrupt 3 months later and putting all 250 of its current employees back in the queue for JSA…In addition the Employment Tribunal requests a detailed cross examination of the DWP representative…which in turn leads to further claims being made concerning a potential breach of several principles of Constitutional Law…leading to an expensive and lengthy full trial at the Court of Appeal…..And so this cycle of utter insanity perpetrated by IDS continues, causing more and more damage to more and more people!

It is just an extension of the old ‘you can’t be in two places at the one time’ trick that the work programme are very adept at. Signing on time clashes with work programme ‘mandatory’ appointment – what you going to do?

The DWP forcing you to choose between work and an appointment at the job centre (or the Work Programme) under threat of a benefit sanction is called Tortious interference in a contract of employment.

“Wrongful or tortious interference with contracts refers to a situation in which a third-party intentionally causes a contracting party to commit a breach of contract. This may be accomplished through inducement or by disrupting a party’s ability to perform their contractual obligations. The purpose of tortious interference laws is to allow parties the freedom to contract with one another and fulfill their contractual obligations without third-party meddling.”

J.P, Just punch the job centre staff in the face. Staff will then go on strike . That’s what I AM going to do of this policy is implemented. Don’t worry about the security staff, they are always too far away. I am happy to face my day in court for this bull-shit. Every little helps.

Its like Prisoner Cell block h down there. I think they thought Frankie from wentworth had arrived when i walked in!!!. There was no one there yesterday,,has Universal not got going yet as im looking forward to the mayhem when it does. Ive been sanctioned already,,the things they want you to do are ridiculous. Ive had no money AT ALL so whats goin on??. Does anyone think after the election someone will stop it??.

Housing Benefit- Is it still possible to claim it independently of the DWP?. Ie. Nil income approach.
After I won an appeal the JCP scum left me alone. However my partner’s work roach has started to put pressure on her including the comment “.. we have a duty to the taxpayer..”
A crunch is coming and my main concern is the rent. My partner is quiet, nervous and she also suffers with thyroid disorder.

greyhound, Yes it is. In fact if this policy that JV is discussing goes ahead, I will give my job up, have nil income and ‘work on the side’. Having said that, I will no doubt face sanctions. WORK ON THE SIDE EVERYONE. LETS PLAY DIRTY

What a nazi this bastard is, like the tory party is, what a fascist state this little dump of a country has become, who said Hitler lost! Their mantra is to look after hard working people, well part time workers are working hard like full timers are so what’s the problem, obviously this proves right here that regardless if you’re working or not, we’re all targets to be knocked about by these posh, privileged, inbred lunatics, all this proves is that regardless if you’re on the dole or you are working, it doesn’t matter, we’re going to hammer you all you plebeian scum!
Is only doing this to get his own back on everyone who mocked him when he was tory leader, another job he was useless at too, he wants to leave a legacy and to show everybody who took the piss out of him when he was leader that he is a capable politician and that we were wrong to mock him, the only legacy he’ll leave is what a vicious, vindictive, cruel, soulless, petty and evil minded twat he really is, he should be booted out of politics forever and what is so infuriating, he is a hypocritical ponce, he lives in a house his father in law gave him, he didn’t earn it so shouldn’t be entitled to it, who’s the scrounger now Iain, do us all a favour, get the chop and drop dead, is high time this nation grew a backbone and protested against this insanity before there’s no welfare state left at all!

At present even if you refused a job point blank they cannot cut your housing benefit. However when Universal Credit comes in …. guess what?!
They can… another way blackmailing the working class back into serfdom.

Just cannot believe how horrible Universal credit is???????. WTF??. Whats going on,,ive had to ask a family memeber to lend me money,,embarrassing but ive had to do it. Ive just had it with the world. And ive got a F**G part time job too???.

They should never get back in, we should stand together, do protest marches, get in touch with the courts or the EU or whatever and whoever, people need to know the truth about these Tory, jackboot wearing filth and what they’re getting away with, are all illegal, all vindictive, cruel, callous, cold-hearted, morally wrong policies and actions that they’re undertaking and they’re away with it and that’s not right, they shouldn’t allowed to get away with this and they have proved that whether you’re working or not, we are all a target for these privileged, pompous, out of touch, deluded, work shy, lazy goose steppers, if they do get back in, god help us all!

Tories wont get in their USELESS!!!!. There needs to be marches organized to stop UNIVERSAL CREDIT!. All their doin is punishing you for working part time!!. Go and kick the non workers up the A***E not the part timers. Its goin to be stopped i can feel it. Theres going to be anarchy and bedlam in a few weeks when more people are forced onto this S**T benefit!!!. When people realize what they are taking away then their goin to kick off big style!!!. See where the Jobcentres little security team do then!!!. Right load of PR***TS!!!!.

It’s already happening my son got a job in a bar, the landlady wanted to ease him in as he gained confidence. DWP wanted him to attend JS office daily and do 35 looking for work he said impossible, guess what they sanctioned him. He now does 30 hours which is still not enough for them and want him to carry on looking for work. Why can’t they leave him alone, he has a heart condition and tires easily, 30is the max he can cope with, DWP called him a liar even though he showed them his scar disgraceful

This is DISGUSTING Leigh!!!!. I dont understand their madness. I work part time and all this has affected my health conditions so ive had to go off sick now!!!. This is goin to get worse and worse people!!. Leigh, your son should not even be working any hours with a heart condition hun!. How dare they call him a liar!!!!. Thstopped soon,,this is getting beyond a F***G JOKE!!!!!.

Well I’ve been on universal credit and have been offered a job with core hours 16 per week minimum wage with possible overtime. I really need some money and its a job I’d like to do.

I can foresee a day when my uc appointment will clash with the part time hours. At this point it will be choose between uc or the part time job. In that case I will quit the part time job and go back to looking for full time.

This is really putting me off getting into the part time work as I could be forced to leave any time. Surly the government wants people in work? Seems like they just want you finding full time or nothing at all.

The problem with this is, if you are sacked from your job your not entitled to benefits for 26 weeks, so this is really detrimental to anyone in this position, say they send yyou to an interview with short notice and your sacked from the part time job your in and you don’t get that job you went for, your left without money for 6 months …. Cause they will stop your benefit for being sacked …. More people will ve homeless and die as a result!!

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